The Greek Gods

Each of the Greek gods had symbols attached to them according to what they stood for and what they ruled over. There were many Greek gods and goddesses and each of them had relics such as statues, urns, and other objects depicting them with their symbols. Some of th gods or goddesses had wings, some were clothed, some not. Some of them wore armor and helmets. The Greeks worshiped these gods and goddesses and gave sacrifices to them. The sacrifice they gave depended on the subject the god or goddess stood for. For example the god or goddess of the fields might receive vegetables or grains as a sacrifice. Other gods and goddesses might receive meat of some kind.

Some of the Greek gods and their symbols were:

1. The symbols of the goddess Aphrodite was the sceptre, myrtle, and the dove.

2. The symbols for the god Apollo was the bow, the lyre, and laurel.

3. The Greek god Ares was represented with a spear.

4. Artemis was represented with the bow, and deer.

5. Athena was symbolized with the aegis, owl, and the olive tree.

6. Demeter is symbolized with a sceptre, torch, and corn.

7. Dionysos was recognized on statues and other relics with the grape vine, ivy, and thyrsos.

8. Hephaistos is seen often with an axe.

9. Hera is symbolized as a goddess with a sceptre, diadem, and peacock.

10. Hermes is seen with caduceus and winged boots.

11. Zeus was very strong and ruler of lightening so he was often seen with the thunderbolt, the eagle, and the mighty oak tree.

The Greeks tried to see the Greek gods and imagine what they might look like so they clothed them and put them with the symbols that they thought best depicted them. Every god or goddess had some type of symbols. Some only had one symbol and other had several, depending on what their tasks were as rulers.

The list above is just a few of the many Greek gods and goddesses. If you have a favorite and want to know all about them, you can find a lot of information on the internet and also in the library. The Greek Gods are very interesting and when you read about some of them you can imagine what they looked like and also you can see where some monsters on television might have been dreamed up from. According to the Greeks, there were some pretty odd shaped gods and goddesses in the past. Some of them were monsters, giants, nymphs and more. The Greeks took all of this serious because it was their only form of religion.